Junk food outlets 'could sell statins'
Monday 16th August 2010
Places selling junk food could offer customers statins alongside their meal to help counteract some of the damaging effects that fatty food has on the heart, it has been suggested.
A press release from Imperial College London mooted the idea because statins are known to reduce the levels of unhealthy "LDL" cholesterol in the blood.
However, Barbara Harpham, national director at Heart Research UK, branded the suggestion "irresponsible".
"Health professionals and charities like Heart Research UK encourage healthy lifestyles and then all that good work is destroyed by saying a pill is the quick fix," she stated.
People working as cardiac physiotherapists may agree with Ms Harpham's comments.
Research published by the NHS Information Centre earlier this year revealed that in 2008, 24 per cent of men and 25 per cent of women over the age of 16 were classified as obese.
Ms Harpham added that offering statins to help offset the risk of heart disease by eating fatty food encourages a "do now, pay later attitude" and does not inspire people to take "personal responsibility for their health".
Written by Angela Newbury
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